Broadband technologies jumpstart rural economies

House Energy and Commerce lawmakers aim to mark up some of the 25 broadband deployment measures that the telecom subcommittee considered in its Tuesday hearing, subpanel Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) tells John. “We want this as bipartisan as we can make it” and are “trying to get it done sooner rather than later,” she said, without giving a timeframe. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) called many of the GOP measures, which would reduce barriers to deployment, “window dressing.” But other Democrats showed interest in tackling the red-tape issues identified by Republicans and say they want the bills to move soon.